Rotary engine.



No. 644,734 Patented Mar. 6, I900.

. s. B. mxon. I

ROTARY ENGINE.

A li'miun filed. Dec. 31, 1898.

(No Model.) 2 Sheefs-Sheet- I.

g 9 zg a a Z9 was 41 W,

Patented Mar. 6, I900.

R. B. DIXON.

TARY ENGINE.

ration filed Dec. 31, 18

2 Sheets-Sheet '2.

(Applic (No Model.)

. fi J.w?////////2 NITED STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

FOURTH TO WVILLIAM T. PLACE.

J. LEE AND DUNCAN O. CAMERON, OF SAME ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,734, dated March 6, 1900.

Application filed December 31,1898- Serial No. 700,848. No model.)

' DIXON, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Toronto, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and useful Rotary Engine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rotary engines, and has for its object to provide a simple and efficient construction and arrangement of parts, including the means for controlling the operation of the abutment to prevent hammer and undue frictional contact thereof with the surface of the piston, and, furthermore, to provide an improved construction of packing devices whereby the operative relation of the piston-wing with the inner surface of the cylinder may be preserved under all conditions of use.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following description and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view in a plane transverse to the axis of the piston of a rotary engine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a section taken parallel with the axis of the piston in the plane indicated by the line2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view in perspective of the packing-rings and piston-wing-extending element. Fig. 4 is a similar View of a single packing ring .wherein the pistonwing-extending element is sectional with the.

members carried, respectively, by said rings.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

My improvement is shown in connection with a rotary engine of the concentric piston type, wherein 10 represents a cylindrical cas-' communicates with an abutment-receiving pocket or cavity 16, which is arranged outside of the bore of the cylindrical casing, and

mounted in this cavity upon a transverse spindle 17 is a swinging abutment 18, preferably having a concaved rear face and a conveXed front face. The wall 19 of the abutment-pocket adjacent to the free end of the abutment is curved concentrically with the spindle 17, and the free end of the abutment is constructed to fit closely to this wall without undue frictional contact, this terminal face 20 of the abutment being also of a curvature concentric with the spindle 17 and being extended to remain in contact with the wall 19 through a portion of the movement of the abutment under the pressure of the motive agent, which is admitted to the pocket above or outside of the abutment,whereby the pressure of the motive agent will be communicated abruptly to the piston-chamber of the cylinder when the face 20 leaves the wall 19. Furthermore, the abutment is provided with an outwardly-extending stop ear or wing 21, which may, as illustrated, be tapered toward its extremity or outwardly from the spindle 17 (said stop-ear being located at the pivoted end of the abutment) and which operates between the abrupt walls of a chamber 22, communicating with the abutment-pocket. In the movements of the abutment this stop-ear or wing vibrates between the abrupt opposite walls 23 and 24 of said chamber; but this chamber is approximately cut off from the abutment-pocket by the hub portion of V the spindle 17 to traverse the outer wall 25 of the chamber, which is also concentric with said spindleaxis. Therefore as the abutment swings to its operative position to arrange its free end contiguous to the surface of the drum 12 there is a compression of fluid, as of steam or other agent, between the wall 24 of the chamber 22 and the advancing side of the ear 21, this compression increas ing to cushion the movement of the abutment, and thus prevent a sharp or sudden contact of its extremity with the drum 12. In the same way the movement of the abutment in the opposite direction is accompanied by a compression of fluid between the wall 23 of the chamber 22 and the advancing surface of the ear 21 for the same purpose, or, in other words, to cushion the movement of the abutment. Also the portion 26 of the hub of the abutment is curved eccentrically with relation to the contiguous portion of the wall 23, whereby when the abutment reaches its operative position said hub bears against the wall, and thus transfers the thrust due to the pressure of the motive agent upon the abutment to said wall and relieves the spindle 17 of a portion of the strain thus produced.

The piston-drum 12 is provided with a yielding or radially-extensible wing 27, which may, as illustrated in the drawings, be constructed of sheet metal, such as steel, with its front and rear edges secured to the peripheral surface of the drum and with its intermediate portion bowed outwardly for contact with the inner surface of the wall of the cylindrical casing. This piston -wing thus is hollow, with its operative face 28 concaved and its opposite face or back 20 convexed. This bowing or curying transversely of the walls of the hollow piston-win g adapts the latterto be extended at its apex or center toward the wall of the cylinder, or, in other words, adapts the piston-wing for radial yielding movement.

Arranged in contact with opposite extremities of the drum 12 out of contact with the heads of the cylinder and connected through .the drum by bolts 30 parallel with the axis of the shaft 13 are.radially-expansible packingrings 31 consisting of cross-sectionally fiat split rings, of which the separated extremities are located in front of the wing 27,0r, at least, in front of the apex of such wing, and of which the peripheries are in contact with the inner surface of the wall of the cylinder and are held in steam-tight contact therewith by the expansion of the rings. The packing-ringconnecting bolts 30 extend through elongated openings 32 in the drum 12, whereby each bolt is capable of play to allow the necessary expansion of the rings to preserve the abovementioned steam -tight contact with the wall of the cylinder.

Carried by the packing-rings is a pistonwing-extending element, which in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, consists of a transverse bar 33, extending through the cavity of said piston-wing from one end thereof to the other and bearing outwardly against the inner surface of said piston-wing atits apex. This bar also serves the function of holding the connected-packing rings in the desired positions with relation to the piston by preventing the independent rotary movement of the piston and rings; but the chief function of said bar is to applyoutward pressure to the piston-wing at its apex by the expansion of the rings to hold said apex of the piston-wingin steam-tight contact with the inner surface of the cylinder-wall, and thus compensate for wear due to the frictional contact of said parts. In the modified construction illustrated in Fig. 4 the pistonwing expanding or extending element isof sectional construction, comprising cars 33, projecting inward from the planes of the pack ing-rings and engaging the piston-ring, as above described, for the same purpose. this modified construction the opposite packing-rings, of which only one has been shown,

Having described my invention, what I claim is-- 1. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder and a piston mounted in the cylinder, of radially-expansible packing-rings arranged in contact with the extremities of, and carried by the piston-drum, said packingrings being arranged peripherallyin contact with the inner surface of the cylinder-wall, and means for yieldingly securing the packing-rings to the piston-d rum, substantially as specified.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, and a piston mounted in the cylinder with its drum terminating short of the cylinder-heads, of radially-expansible packing-rings arranged in contact with the extremities of the piston-drum and peripherally in contact with the innersurface of the cylinder-wall, and bolts connecting said packingrings through the piston-drum, substantially as specified.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a piston having its drum arranged terminally separated from the heads of the cylinder and provided with longitudinally-elongated openings, radially-expansible packing-rings arranged in contact with the extremities of the piston-drum and peripherally in contact with the inner surface of the cylinder-wall, and bolts connecting said packing-rings, and extending through the openings in the piston-drum, said bolts being of less cross-sectional area than said openings to allow independent movement, substantially as specified.

4. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a piston having its drum arranged terminally out of contact with the heads of the cylinder, radially expansible split packing-rings arranged in contact with and carried by the piston-drum, and also arranged peripherally in contact with the inner surface of the cylinder-wall,and means forsecuring the packing-rings to the piston-drums, said means preventing axial movement but allowing radial expansion against axial movement, substantially as specified.

5. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a winged piston havingits drum arranged terminally out of contact with the cylinder heads, radially expansible split packing-rings arranged in contact with and carried by the extremities of the piston-dr-u m and also arranged peripherallyin contact with the inner surface of the wall of the cylinder, the separated extremities of said packingrings being arranged in advance of the piston-wing, and means for securing the packing-rings against axial displacement, substantially as specified.

6. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a piston having a radially-extensible wing, and radially-expansible packing-rings carried by the piston in peripheral contact with the inner surface of the Wall of the cylinder, and connected with the said piston-wing, for yieldingly holding the latter in terminal contact with the inner surface of the wall of the cylinder, substantially as specified.

7. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a piston having a hollow radially-expansible wing, and packing-rings carried by the piston in peripheral contact with the inner surface of the cylinder-wall and having engagement with the inner surface of said expansible piston-wing, for holding the latter in contact with the inner surface of the cylinder-wall, substantially as specified.-

8. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a piston having a hollow radially-yielding wing of sheet metal, arranged in contact at its apex with the inner surface of the wall of the cylinder, and radially-expansible packing-rings carried by the piston in peripheral contact with the inner surface of the cylinder-wall, and provided with means, extending into the interior of said piston-wing, and bearing outwardly thereon contiguous to its apex, to maintain the latter in frictional contact with the inner surface of the cylinderwall, substantially as specified.

9. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a piston having aradially-expansible sheet-metal wing, provided with bowed front and rear walls, adapted to be extended more or less to allow the maintenance of the apex of the wing in contact with the inner surface of the cylinder-wall, and radially-expansible packing-rings carried by the piston in peripheral contact with the inner surface of the cylinder wall, and having means engaged with the piston-wing, adjacent to its apex, to extend the latter radially into contact wit-h the inner surface of the cylinder-wall, substantially as specified.

10. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a piston having a radially-expansible sheet-metal wing provided with respectively concaved and convexed operative walls, and expansible packing-rings carried by the piston in peripheral contact with the inner surface of the cylinder-wall, and provided with means, in engagement with said wing, for extending the latter to maintain its apex in contact with the inner surface of the cylinder-wall, substantially as specified.

11. In a rotary engine,the combination with a cylinder, of a piston having a'radially-expansible sheet-metal wing provided with respectively concaved and convexed operative walls, and expansible packing-rings carried by the piston in peripheral contact with the inner surface of the cylinder-wall, and a transverse bar connecting said packing-rings and extending through the interior of said wing in contact with the inner surface thereof adjacent to its point of bearing upon the inner surface of the cylinder-wall, substantially as specified.

12. A rotary engine having in combination with its cylinder and piston, a pocket comprising a steam-chamber and having an 01fset portion forming a cushion -chamber, a swinging abutment mounted in said pocket and having a stop-ear operating in the cushion-chamber,said abutmentbeingso arranged that the hub portion thereof allows but slight communication between the steam-chamber and the cushion-chamber, whereby the fluid in the cushion-chamber is compressed by the stop-ear, substantially as specified.

13. 'A rotary engine having, in combination with its cylinder and piston, an abutmentpocket, communicating with a steam-chamber, and having an inlet-port in communication th=erewith,an abutment mounted to swing in said abutment-pocket, and having an eccentric hub for contact with a fixed object when the abutment is extended, and a stopear 21 carried by the abutment, and operating ina cushion-chamber 22, in communication with the steam -supply port, whereby fluid cushions are formed between said stop and the opposite walls of said chamber toward the limits of movement of the abutment in opposite directions, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD BENJAMIN DIXON.

WVitnesses:

D. O. CAMERON, Jos. DOYLE. 

